Environment

This home is located in the foothills of Spanish Fork. It's enclosed by a wonderful native bigtooth maple and scrub oak forest. In order to harmonize with the local environment while keeping it under control, the owners chose to border the native stands with 8" of steel edging and then plant their living area with a variety of xeric plants, many of them occurring naturally in the surrounding forest .

By using native rocks and a covering of organic mulch, the landscapes blends seamlessly with its surroundings and preserves the look and feel that originally caused the owners to choose this place to live.

A variety of seed and berry-producing plants provide food for the birds and squirrels throughout the year; low growing evergreen shrubs and large trees provide shelter; native shrubs provide food for the deer (although they still prefer euonymous); a large variety of flowering shrubs and perennials attract bees, butterflies and even bats. And the owner is rewarded with free entertainment throughout the year.

Here's another example of a home, this time in the upper East Bench of Salt Lake City, that is lucky enough to be surrounded by native oaks and maples. The original landscape was the traditional huge lawn, extending in some places down into the oak forest. The lawn was a water hog and it was almost impossible to mow.

By removing all the unused lawn, leaving play areas for the kids, and planting the new beds with native and non-native xeric plants, the landscape not only saves water and maintenance time, but also fits gracefully into its surroundings.

When you live in the foothills, you have to get used to the native fauna wanting to share your yard with you. After all, they were here first! In this case, the owner chose to join them rather than fight them and installed a critter-friendly' landscape.